Furnace



Patented Nov. 13, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Kenn trauma, or BERLIN-WILMERSDORF, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR T WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA.

' ruaNAcn.

Application filed December 2, 1926, Serial No. 152,153, and in Germany picember 3, 1925.- i

M invention relates to furnaces and more particularly to cooling means for bright-annealing furnaces.

An object of my invention is to provide a simple and efiicient furnace.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for quickly cooling the interior cooling of the furnace and its contents with out ex osing such contents to the outside I atmosp ere.

In each of the forms of my invention herein described, a furnace, havin a materialreceiving chamber adapted to e heated by suitable means, such as electric heatin elements, is provided. The material-recelving chamber has a hollow member, provided with heat-conducting walls, extending through I it. While the furnace is being heated, the

passageway provided by the hollow member is closed by heat-insulating closure means; when the furnace has been sufiiciently heated, the closure means are removed and air is perthereby effecting a rapid cooling of the chamber and the material therein. In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a furnace embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 1s a sectlonal view ofla modification of my invention.

Referring to the drawingdfor amore dew tailed description of my invention, a fur nace 10 comprises a lower member 11, preferably of bowl shape, having a cover member 12, the members ll and 12 being constructed of refractory insulating material.

Mounted on. the cover member 12, is an auxiliary cover member 13, the lower rim 14.-

' remova mitted to circulate through the passageway,

' erably secured to the bottom wall 0 of'which extends into an oil seal 15 that is secured, in any suitable manner, to the'lower member 11, thusproviding an oil seal for the furnace. The cover member 13 is spaced from the cover member 12 by means of spacers 16 that may be secured to either of the cover members, but, in the present instance are secured to the cover member 13.

Suitable heating means is provided and, in the form of my invention shown in Fig. 1, no such heating means comprises electric heatmg elemonts'1 that are positioned in the material-receiving chamber 19 of the furnace 'and are secured to-the walls of the lower member 11.

a preferably metallic pipe, or cylindrical casing, 20, extends through the center of the furnace. The ends of the pipe 20 are open to the outside atmosphere. v The pipe 20fis vertically disposed and is 1y positioned within openings 21, 22, and 23 in the bottom wall of the member 11, the cover member'12 and the cover member 13, respectively. The pipe 20 has a flange 24 at its up] per end to rest on an annular member 26 t at, in turn, is supported by the auxiliary cover member 13.

A cylindrical member 28 is secured to the bottom wall of the member 11 and is posiso 3 tioned in the opening 21 of that wall.v The cylindrical member 28 surrounds the lower end of the pipe 20 and may be spaced from the walls thereof.

The cylindrical member 28 extends below 35 the bottom wall of the member 11 and is immersed in an annular oil seal 30 which is refthe member 11 by suitable means, such as the brackets 32. As is clearly shown in Fig'. 1,

the pipe 20 is also immersed in the annular oil seal.30.. The annular oil seal 30,- therefore, prevents any communication between the chamber 19 and the interior of the pipe 20. Q

Means are provided for closing the ends of the pipe 20 to prevent communication between the interior of the pipe and the outside atmosphere. In the form of my invention shown in Fig.1, such means comprises a lower 100 stopper or closure member 34 and an upper stopper or closuremember 35. The closure members 34 and 35 are preferably rigidly connected by means of a rod 36 that is secured hereto in any suitable manner, as by means of screw threads (not shown). I

The upper stopper 35 preferably has a flange portion 38 that is adapted to rest against the flange 24 of the pipe 20, for more effectively closing the upper end of the pipe. The pipe 20 may be of such length that the lower stopper member will also rest-against the inner wall of the annular oil seal 30, if desired. The upper closure member'35 is provided with an eye member 39 so that the closure members 24 and 35may be removed, when desired, by means of a crane or other lifting device, the hook of the crane being attached to the eye member 39. \In charging the furnace, the closure members 34 and 35, the pipe 20 and the cover members 12 and 13 are removed and the material is placed in the pro er position in the furnace. The cover mem ers 12 and 13, the pipe 20 and the closure members 34 and 35 are then replaced.

. The heating elements, which are connected to a suitable source of electrical energy (not shown), are then energized and the material 40 is heated to the proper temperature which is maintained for such period of time as is necessary for the heat-treating operation.

At the end of the heat-treating period, the

energy is cut olf from ,the heatingelements 18, and the closure members 34 and 35 are then removed to permit coldair to circulate through the circular opening of the coil seal 30 and the pipe 20. The air circulation is aided by the transmission of heat, through the metallic wall of the pipe 20 from the chamber 19, to the air passin through the pipe, thus creating a vertical raft. Inthis way, the chamber 19, and, therefore, the material 40 will be rapidly cooled.

' A pit 41 may be formed in the furnacefoundation 42, into which the pipe 20 opens. This pit may be connected to means for producing a forced draft through the pipe 20.

Inthe'form of my invention shown in Fig. 2, the furnace is essentially the same as the furnace shown in Fig. 1, and comprises a low er member 42, a cover member43, both made of refractory insulating material, and an auxiliary cover member 44 that is s aced from the cover member 43 by means 0 spacers 45. The rim of the cover member 44- is immersed in an oil seal 46.

The lower member 42 is'of bowl shape, thus providing a chamber 48 therein that constitutes the material-receiving chamber. Within the chamber 48 are provided electric heating elements 49 that are secured to the walls of the lower member 42 by any suitable means.

A pipe 50 extehds vertically through the chamber 48, the bottom wall of the member 42 and the covermembers 43 and 44 and is atmosphere.

rigidly secured to the bottom wall of the I the covermmber 44. The member 52 may have an opening therein to permit circulation of. air therethrough during the cooling period. A flange 57 may be formed at the lower end of-the pipe 50.

Stoppers or closure members 58 and 59 are positioned, respectively, at the upper and lower ends of the pipe and are connected by a rod 60. The closure member 59 ispreferably provided with a flange 61 which is adapted to bear against the flange 57 in order to make a better closure.

Underneath the pipe 50, a pit 62 is formed in the floor or foundation 63 on which the furnace rests which is open to the outside At the bottom of the closure member 59, an eye member 64 is preferably formed.

In operating the furnace, material 65 is placed therein in a manner similar to the placing of material in the furnace shown in Fig. 1, previously described, and the heating elements 49 areenergized to heat the'material to the proper temperature. At the end of the heat-treating period, the closure members 58 and 59 are removed by suitable means en-- gaging the eye member 64. p The closure members. will, of course, be drawn downwardly into the pit 62. The air is thus permitted to lized to aid in the cooling, if desired. Since the cooling pipes in the furnaces described, occupy considerable space, the space to be filled with protective gas is reduced. This renders the furnaces especially useful for annealing annular objects.

Although I have shown and described, for purposes of illustration, only two embodiments of my invention, the invention may, of course, be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a furnace, in combination, a casing provided with a material-receiving chamber, electric heating means in. said chamber, a metallic pipe mounted in said casing and extending vertically through the center of said pers fitting in-said pipe for heat-insulating the interior thereof from the outside atmosphere, whereby the pipe will act as a manually controlled cooling means.

emma 3 2. In a furance, in combination, a casing phere, andecompartment adapted to'commu- 1 vprovided with a material-receiving chamber, nicate with one end of said pi e upon reeleetric heating means in said chamber, a memoval of said plugs, whereby t e pipe will 'tallic pipe mounted in said casing and exact as a manually-controlled coolin means.

5 tending vertically through the center of said In testimony whereof, I have ereunto chamber, ahermctically sealed cover for said subscribed my name this 9th day of N ovem- 1 chamber, apair of connected removable ber, 1926. plugs fitting in said pipe for heat-insulating the interior thereof from the outside atmos- KARL TAMELE. 

